The Royal Society is opposed to creationism being taught as science. Some media reports have misrepresented the views of Professor Michael Reiss, Director of Education at the Society expressed in a speech yesterday.
Professor Reiss has issued the following clarification. "Some of my
comments about the teaching of creationism have been misinterpreted as
suggesting that creationism should be taught in science classes. Creationism has
no scientific basis. However, when young people ask questions about creationism
in science classes, teachers need to be able to explain to them why evolution
and the Big Bang are scientific theories but they should also take the time to
explain how science works and why creationism has no scientific basis. I
have referred to science teachers discussing creationism as a worldview'; this
is not the same as lending it any scientific credibility."
The society remains committed to the teaching of evolution as the best
explanation for the history of life on earth. This position was
highlighted in the Interacademy Panel statement [.pdf file] on the teaching of evolution issued in June 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment